Plunge line brassiere



Oct. 26, 1965 G. A. RIZZ] PLUNGE LINE BRASSIERE Filed March 6, 1964 R m m V m :L R W a u d1 /v m n a ww 6 I, 2 @W g ll 2 United States Patent C) ce 3,213,854 PLUNGE LINE BRASSIERE Gilda Antonietta Rizzi, 104-70 Queens Blvd, Forest Hills, N.Y. Filed Mar. 6, 1964, Ser. No. 350,059 2 Claims. (Cl. 128-477) This invention relates generally to ladies undergarments and more particularly to new and useful improvements in brassieres to be worn with plunge-line dresses.

The ordinary brassieres are created solely to mold and control the bust with no regard for use with different types of dresses worn in the daytime or after dark. The present invention may be used with daytime dresses or dresses to be worn after dark.

A principal object of the present invention is to provide a brassiere that is adapted for a particular style of dress, to wit, the plunging type that opens down the front.

Another object of the invention is to provide a brassiere that molds and controls the bust and at the same time permits the shape of the breasts to be observed.

Another object of the invention is to provide a brassiere that can be worn with or without straps.

Still another object of the invention is to provide a brassiere wherein the bust cups are completely independent of each other except for a coupling connection or connecting means which imposes a limitation on the relative shifting of the bust cups.

A further object of the invention is to provide a brassiere made of two sections with stiffening means in each section, the sections being joined at the front adjustably by a lacing near the bottom of the brassiere.

For further comprehension of the invention, and of the objects and advantages thereof, reference will be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, and to the appended claims in which the various novel features of the invention are more particularly set forth.

In the accompanying drawings forming a material part of this disclosure:

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a brassiere embodying my invention as it appears when worn.

FIG. 2 is a top plan view thereof.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary enlarged rear view in flatwise condition.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged vertical sectional view taken on the line 4-4 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary rear perspective view of the connection for the elastic band.

FIG. 6 is a section taken on the line 6-6 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a modified form of elastic band ornament adapted to be used with the brassiere.

Referring now in detail to the drawings, in FIG. 1 a brassiere made in accordance with the present invention is shown diagrammatically on a wearer and is designated generally at 10. The brassiere is formed of lace fabric, satin or other suitable brassiere material.

The body of the brassiere is sectional including sections 12 and 14 flexibly and adjustably connected by lacing 16 threaded through opposed eyeletted holes 18 in the vertical margins of the sections.

The sections are similarly constructed and each section comprises a bodice portion constituted by a front panel 24 and a body encircling portion constituted by a side panel 26. The front panel is designed to rest snugly against the wearers body immediately below the breasts and over the region of the diaphragm. The front panel is elongated and rectangular in shape with a free marginal edge 28, in the lower end of which the holes 18 are formed. The front panel has a straight bottom 30 and an arcuateshaped top end edge 32.

3,213,854 Patented Oct. 26, 1965 The front panel 24 or bodice portion is reinforced by bones or wires 34 extending along the side edges thereof at the rear, the bones or wires being covered by fabric strips 36 sewed to the panel by stitching 38. An elongated narrow strip of semirigid foam rubber 40 extends along the center of the panel and projects upwardly beyond the top of the arcuate-shaped top end edge 32 as indicated at 42. The rubber strip 40 is covered by a fabric strip 46 secured by stitching 48.

The side panel 26 has a straight bottom but at the top the edge tapers or converges downwardly to a free end 50 that is only half the height of the front panel 24. The free end 50 is reinforced with a narrow strip of fabric 52. The strip 52 on the side panel of section 14 mounts spaced metal books 54 for hooking around loops 55 on the strip 52 on the side panel of section 12 for fastening the sections around the body of the wearer. A wide elastic band 56 is sewed to the slanting top edge of the side panel by a row of stitching 58 with one end of the band sewed to the free end 50 of the side panel.

A breast pocket or cup 60 is fastened to the arcuateshaped top end edge of the front panel 24 by stitching 62. This pocket or cup is a two-ply construction, the outer ply 64 formed of lace fabric and the inner ply 66 formed of heavy fabric, such as satin, stretchable in a vertical direction. The outer lace ply is formed with a horizontally disposed curved seam 68 adjacent the top thereof.

The inner ply 66 is formed of a pair of semicircular sections 68' and 70 joined at their adjacent marginal edges by stitching forming a vertical seam 72. The foam rubber extension 42 of the front panel 24 spans the seam 72 for the major portion of the length thereof and is secured to the sections 68' and 70 by rows of stitching. The sections 68' and 70 stretch in a vertical direction only. A curved strip 76 of similar material as the sections 68 and 70 is fastened along the top edges thereof by stitching 78. Strip 76 is stretchable only in a horizontal direction. The vertical and horizontal seams mold the pocket or cup to a generally conical or dome shape to adapt them to enclose the breasts of a woman wearer. The pocket or cup on section 12 is shaped to support the right breast of the wearer while the pocket or cup on section 14 is shaped to support the left breast.

A principal feature of the invention is an elongated elastic band or strip 80 detachably fastened at its hooked ends 82 to metal loops 84. A series of three such loops is shown secured to the broad elastic band 56 adjacent its connection with the pocket or cup 60. The elastic band or strip 80 extends loosely through guide loops 86 secured to one end of the pocket or cup strip 76 at the end thereof opposite the end of the broad elastic band 56 and across the space between the sections 12 and 14. The loops are positioned at various heights across the pocket or cup so that the elastic can be adjusted up or down relative to the pocket or cup.

An ornament such as a fabric flower 90 may be fastened on the elastic 80 where it crosses the space between the sections. Another ornament such as a bow and knot 92 may be fastened to the reach of the lacing 16 that crosses the space between the sections 12 and 14. In FIG. 7, an article of jewelry such as a jeweled plate 94 with depending beads 96 is shown as an ornament.

The elastic band or strip 80 can be adjusted by means of the spacing of the loops 84 to different heights along the pocket or cups to accommodate the pockets to breasts of different sizes. The elastic band serves to hold the sections 12 and 14 of the brassiere together and also serves to support the breasts of the wearer, as it passes underneath the breasts.

The improved brassiere may be used with or without straps. Fabric loops 98 are sewed to the strips 76 of the inner plies of the pockets for use with straps.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred embodiments of my invention, it is to be understood that I do not limit myself to the precise construction herein disclosed and that various changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent 1. A brassiere type garment comprising sectional bodice portions having front panels and side panels, said section-s snugly fitting the wearer with the lower edgesof the panels at the wearers waist line and the upper edges of the front panels below the wearers breasts, fabric breast pockets stitched to the tops of the front panels and adapted to cover the wearers, breasts, said front panels being rectangular with long edges along the sides thereof, the side panels being secured at the inner side edges to the front panel and to the breast pockets, said side panels decrease in height from the inner side edges to the end portions thereof, elastic bands attached to, the top of each of the side panels and merging with the upper edges of the side panels, spaced stays extending upwardly along the long edges of the front panels and intermediate said long edges, said intermediate stays being aligned with the nipples of the Wearers breasts when said garment is worn, said intermediate stays extending to about the middle height of the breasts whereby to draw the lower portions of said pockets and the extending portions of the intermediate stays snugly against the lower parts of the breasts with decreasing snugness at increasing heights, and curved seams extending across the breast pockets above the top ends of the extensions of the intermediate stays, said curved seams holding the upper portions of the fabric of the breast pockets to free sliding contact with the surfaces of the upper parts of the breasts, the fabric of the breast pockets having a tendency to stretch vertically while being worn.

2. A brassiere type garment as defined in claim 1 characterized by aligned loops on both sides of the pockets, an elongated elastic band extending loosely across the pockets at the middle thereof on the inside of the pockets and extending loosely through the loops of adjacent sides of the pockets, and hooks on the ends of the band adjustably engageable with the loops on the opposite sides of the pockets.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 525,241 8/94 Tucek 128482 2,406,893 9/46 Nunn 128465 2,475,624 7/49 Laszlo l28487 2,483,366 9/49 Glick l28472 2,888,931 6/59, Schaumer 128482 2,979,057 4/61 Miller 128484 ADELE M. EAGER, Primary Examiner. 

1. A BRASSIERE TYPE GARMENT COMPRISING SECTIONAL BODICE PORTIONS HAVING FRONT PANELS AND SIDE PANELS, SAID SECTIONS SNUGLY FITTING THE WEARER WITH THE LOWER EDGES OF THE PANELS AT THE WEARER''S WAIST LINE AND THE UPPER EDGES OF THE FRONT PANELS BELOW THE WEARER''S BREASTS, FABRIC BREAST POCKETS STITCHED TO THE TOPS OF THE FRONT PANELS AND ADAPTED TO COVER THE WEARER''S BREAST, SAID FRONT PANELS BEING RECTANGULAR WITH LONG EDGES ALONG THE SIDES THEREOF, THE SIDE PANELS BEING SECURED AT THE INNER SIDES THEREOF, THE FRONT PANEL AND TO THE BREAST POCKETS, SAID SIDE PANELS DECREASE IN HEIGHT FROM THE INNER SIDE EDGES TO THE END PORTIONS THEREOF, ELASTIC BANDS ATTACHED TO THE TOP OF EACH OF THE SIDE PANELS AND MERGING WITH THE UPPER EDGES OF THE SIDE PANELS, SPACED STAYS EXTENDING UPWARDLY ALONG THE LONG EDGES OF THE FRONT PANELS AND INTERMEDIATE SAID LONG EDGES, SAID INTERMEDIATE STAYS BEING ALIGNED WITH THE NIPPLES OF THE WEARER''S BREASTS WHEN SAID GARMENT IS WORN, SAID INTERMEDIATE STAYS EXTENDING TO ABOUT THE MIDDLE HEIGHT OF THE BREASTS WHEREBY TO DRAW THE LOWER PORTIONS OF SAID POCKETS AND THE EXTENDING PORTIONS OF THE INTERMEDIATE STAYS SNUGLY AGAINST THE LOWER PARTS OF THE BREASTS WITH DECREASING SNUGNESS AT INCREASING HEIGHTS, AND CURVED SEAMS EXTENDING ACROSS THE BREAST POCKETS ABOVE THE TOP ENDS OF THE EXTENSIONS OF THE INTERMEDIATE STAYS, SAID CURVED SEAMS HOLDING THE UPPER PORTIONS OF THE FABRIC OF THE BREAST POCKETS TO FREE SLIDING CONTACT WITH THE SURFACES OF THE UPOPER PARTS OF THE BREASTS, THE FABRIC OF THE BREAST POCKETS HAVING A TENDENCY TO STRETCH VERTICALLY WHILE BEING WORN. 